This invention relates to the fields of telecommunications and computer systems. More particularly, a method and apparatus are provided for presenting multimedia content to a caller and/or a called party before, during and/or after a telephone call between the parties.
Calls from or to a mobile telephone are typically accompanied by minimal display content. For example, when placing a call, the caller may simply see a dialer screen used to enter a telephone number, or to select a number or contact to be dialed. When receiving a call, a called party may see the caller's telephone number (or some other display if the number is blocked or unknown) or a name of the caller (if the caller's telephone number is stored in the called party's contacts), but little else.
Although this information display may be sufficient for the basic purpose of identifying who is being called or who has originated a call, it fails to deliver the type of multimedia experience many people have come to expect in the electronic age. Just as computer systems have evolved from textual operating systems (e.g., DOS or Disk Operating System) to complex graphical operating systems (e.g., Mac OS®, Microsoft Windows®), the display capabilities of mobile telephones have evolved in a similar manner.
Although mobile telephone applications that operate independently of telephone calls have been developed to take advantage of the telephones' richer display capabilities, such as offline games, photography and GPS (Global Positioning System) navigation, applications that make and receive calls or that operate during a call have not. Therefore, there is a need for methods and apparatus for enriching the experience of a person making or receiving a call.
In some embodiments, a payor may select from one or more payment mechanisms a preferred option for completing a purchase in an on-line or real-world transaction. The payor may be the caller or a called party, and may arrange terms of the transaction during a voice call or an automated call. The payor or the payee (e.g., a merchant or vendor) may then trigger a payment information process in which the payment mechanisms are offered, the payor selects one, and the payment process proceeds normally.